Dad shares heartbreaking warning after death of baby daughter

A devastated dad has appeared in a YouTube video begging parents to be vigilant after his baby daughter swallowed a button battery and died.

In the video George Assan, tells the heartbreaking story of how his two-year-old daughter Francesca lost her life after swallowing the battery. Wiping away tears and taking regular breaks to compose himself, George explains how his tiny girl died and sends a warning to other parents.

Francesca swallowed the battery after taking it out of a pair of 3D glasses which her family had placed inside a drawer, insider a box which was inside another box. The little girl did not choke on the battery, but died of catastrophic internal injuries after the battery came into contact with her stomach fluid and began to corrode.

George appears in the video which was produced by the Child Accident Prevention Trust in a bid to raise awareness about the significant dangers of these common household batteries. He's desperate for all families to know the risks association with the batteries so that they may protect their children.

Francesca, two, died after swallowing a button battery. Image: YouTube.

Ashley Pugh, of the Fleet and Yately Health Visiting Team, also appears in the video. She explains that the first risk associated with this style of batteries is choking, but then adds that even if a child doesn't choke, he or she may be at risk of horrific injuries.

"When button batteries come into contact with bodily fluid and liquid they start to corrode the flesh so if they come into contact with the throat or the stomach wall within two hours they can cause very severe injuries and even death," says Ashley.

She goes onto say that few parents were aware of the dangers of button batteries and even fewer were aware of just how common they are. She then listen household items in which button batteries are found.

Button batteries are often found in key fobs, remote controls, children’s toys, watches and musical greeting cards. And, as George and his family so sadly discovered, inside 3D glasses.

"It is very hard for me to talk about losing Francesca," he says in the video.

"I feel guilty. Unfortunately, we didn’t see anything wrong, no signs," he says.

"We found that it was a button battery and straight away I went to the cabinet and we had the 3D glasses for the TV. It was one of the spare batteries, in the original box of the glasses, which was in another box."

A button battery, also called disc batteries because of their flat, round shape. Image: YouTube.

George then went on to warn other families about the dangers and to think twice about having this style of battery in the house.

"What happened to Francesca proved that you can’t always be around," he says, blinking back tears.

"You can’t have eyes everywhere. You can’t take that basic freedom of exploring from a toddler. That makes them a toddler."

In Australia, two children have died from button battery-related injuries, says a CHOICE report. And it's been estimated by Product Safety Australia that 20 children a week are presenting at emergency departments nationwide for the removal or treatment of a swallowed or inserted button battery.

In Australia, injury data shows that button battery incidents are also on the rise. A report by the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit shows that the number of children presenting to emergency departments increased from 27 in 2012, to 50 in 2013 – a rise of 85%. In the first half of 2014 (which is as far the report currently runs), 37 children had already been treated for ingested batteries.

So what to do?

Avoid this style of battery if at all possible and keep them out of the reach of children.

Educate your kids about the dangers of batteries and warn them to never put them in their mouths.

Dispose of used batteries carefully. Even flat batteries can cause serious damage to children.

If you suspect your child has swallowed a battery, call the emergency department at your local hospital or call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or go to a hospital emergency room. Do not let the child eat or drink, and do not induce vomiting.